For the thumb and the big toeTuesday 22 March / 21:30 h/Arti et Amicitatie

The motif in For the thumb and the big toe was an article about a woman found dead with her thumbs tied up. From this story of a homicide by the male partner, I was able to imagine the corruption of the relationship between two people. This object signifies how attaching two rings of a couple or lovers have the symbolic meaning of shared promise can become a medium that run counter to the original meaning. When two rings are joined as one, they turn into an instrument that can control either one in the relationship. This little instrument for the thumb and the big toe that still shines can no longer have the original function and symbol. Although this instrument has a different appearance from the bulky tools used for torture, its control is more powerful than expected. This work suggests how corruption of relationship is like meeting a completely different mutant created from the bonding of two rings.

Hidden

The black & white film Hidden is involved wearing the golden intertwined ring object. In this film which includes scenes of wearing the object on the thumb and the big toe and testing its performance, the object is not shown in any of the scenes. The bodies writhe in suffocation, they writhe in passion, they writhe in movement dictated by tradition. They writhe because a force invisible to the eye ties them together - a ring burdened with the symbolism and expectations of society.

Bio

Goeun Bae (1984, Seoul) lives and works in Amsterdam. She followed her BFA Visual Arts and MFA media arts at the Korea National University of Arts. Bae participated in a residency program of the Rijksakademie (2012-2013). Bae has presented her work in a variety of forms at venues including IDFA, EYE Film museum (2014), Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam (2014), Nieuwe Vide, Haarlem (2015), Galeria Vermelho, Sao Paulo (2015), LAST projects, LA (2015).